Automobile.



I'. A. STEPHENS.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED 1320.9, 1904.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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E. A. STEPHENS.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION EILED DEe.e.1904.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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E'. A. STEPHENS.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLlCA'llON FILED`DEG.9,1904.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3` Witnesses.

F. A. STEPHENS.

AUTOMOBILE. APPLIQATION FILED DBG.9.1904.

901,493. Patented- 001;.20,1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Inventor. M u. @www By @um Attorney,

FRANK`A. STEPHENS, OF DUNKIRK, NEW `YORK.

AUTOMOBILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application led December 9, 1904. Serial No. 236,148'.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. STEPHENS, a .citizen of the United States, residing at Dunkirk, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York,-have invented'certain 'new and useful Improvements in Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved automobile and principally to certain novel features in the operating mechanism thereof.

The principal objects of the invention are to enable the gasolene engine to be driven at a uniform speed at all times to dispense with transmission and speed changing gears and to drive the automobile by an engine which is lconnected directly to the driving axle and driven by power derived'from the gasolene engine.

The invention also relates to certain details of construction, all of which will be fully and 4clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accom panying drawings in which a preferred adaptation of the invention is shown.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the running gear of an automobile equipped with the improved driving mechanism, the body and hood being shown in dotted lines, and two of the wheels being removed to clearly Ishow the mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the automobile with the body, the hood and fuel storage or gasolene tank removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached side elevation of the improved driving mechanism, a section being,

cut through one of the cranks on the driving axle, andthrough the compressed air reser voir. Fig. 4 is a detached rear View of the air engine-and the mechanism attached thereto, the connecting rods being omitted and the eccentric rods of the valve gear detached from the links and omitted. Fig. 5 is adetached section through the throttle valve.

Fig. 6 is a detached longitudinal section.

through the throttle valve. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detached rear elevation of the gas engine, and the air compressor, section. p being taken throu h the automobile frame and through the sliding member ofthe fric-y tion clutch and the shaft of the gas engine. Fig. 8 is a section through the eccentric for operating the air compressor and through I the friction clutch device, a ,fragment of the shaft of the gas engine being shown. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detached side view of the eccentric. Fig. l0 is an enlarged detached side view of the movable member of the friction clutch. f

In referring to the adaptation of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings in detail, like numerals designate like parts.

The automobile consists of the usual frame 1, springs 2, front and rear aXles 3 and 4, steering device 5, and a body which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

` The driving mechanism in the adaptation shown consists of a gasolene engine 6, which 'is preferably mounted on the front end of the frame l, and inclsed within the usual hood shown Iin dotted lines in Fig. 1. The gasolene engine 6, is supplied with gasolene from a tank 7 of the usualtype which in this instance is located under the rear seat and connected to the gasolene engine by piping 8. An air ump 9, has its piston rod 10, connected by riction mechanism to the driving shaft 11, of the gasoleneengine and an air reservoir or tank 12, for the storing of compressed air is located at any convenient point of the automobile, (in the present adaptation being arranged under the front seat thereof) and connected' by a pipe 13, to lthe air pump. By employing friction mechanism to connect the air pump to the gasolene engine, all danger of an explosion of the tank 12, from excessive pressure is avoided, as the friction mechanism will slip when'the pressure reaches a certain point.

An yatmospheric or air engine is mounted on the automobile and is driven by coinpressed air supplied from the reservoir 12. This atmospheric engine is preferablypf a reciprocating double cylinder type with the cylinders disposed horizontally and the piston rods connected directly to the driving axle of the automobile and on the quarter to absolutely prevent any possibility of a. dead centen l TheJ atmospheric engine consists of a pair of parallel horizontal cylinders, 14, which are supported from the frame by metal straps 15, cross head guides 16, the usual pist-on rods 17, having cross heads 18, slidvably mountedv in the cross head guides 16,

and connecting rods 19, pivoted at one extremity to the cross head, and at-the opposite end to the cranks 20, of the driving axle 4, of the automobilel The rodsl 19, are connected to the cranks 20, on the quarter as the cranks extend substantially at right angles to each other which obviates any ldanger of the engine ever being on` a dead center. A transversely extending bar 21, is mounted in brackets 22, see Figs. 3 and 4, and two sleeves 23, are loosely mounted upon `the bar, each sleeve having two depending arms 24 and 25, formed integrallyl therewith,

Each of the arms 24, has a block 26, formed at its lower end, the block 26, fitting in a curved slot 27, which is formed in a curved link 28. Each link 28, is supported by a `connecting arm 29, from the end of a crank arm 30, which is mounted on a horizontally extending rock shaft 31. The rock shaft 31, is supported in brackets 32, secured to the frame of thel automobile as shown in Fig. 1. Lugs 33, are formed upon the rear surface or edge of the links 28, and near the upper and lower endsf'thereof. A plurality of eccentrics 34, are mounted upon the driving axle 4, and each eccentric has a forwardly extending eccentric rod 35, the forward extreme of which is pivoted by a pin to one of the lugs'33, on the links 28, see Fi 3. The depending arms 25, are connecteg by connecting rods 36, to valve rods 37, which are slidably mounted in the valve chamber of the air engine, see Fig. 3, and which govern the admission of air, into the cylinders.

The supply of air to the valve chamber of the engine is controlled by a throttle valve which is operated by a levenplaced in convenient reach of the chauffeur and which also varies the lead of the valvev and reverses the stroke of the engine. The throttle'valve is mounted on the pipe 38, which conveys the air from the air reservoir 12, to the air engine, and consists of a rectangular casing 39, in which is mounted a slidable block 40. rlhis block is provided with two vertical openings 4l, one being located near each end thereof. A stem or rod 42, projects from one end ofthe block 40, and extends through the casing 39, and a connecting rod 43, is pivoted at itsrear end to this stem 42, and at itsy forward end to a vertical crank arm 44. rlfhe crank arm is mounted on a horizontal rock shaft 45, which is mounted in `bearings depending from the automobile frame. One of the bearings is in the form of a quadrant 46, and a vertically extending controlling lever 47 has its lower end secured to the rock shaft and adjacent to the quadrant. The lever 47, may be moved forward or backward to open or close the throttle valve, the lever being held in position by the usual pin which fits in notches formed thence into the cylinders.

in the quadrant, see Fig. 3. A connecting rod 48, 1s pivoted at' its forward end to the controlling lever 47 and at its rear end to a vertical crank arm 49, which is mounted at one end of the rock shaft 31.

rlhe operation of this portion of the inech-l ani'sm is as follows: When the controlling lever is in its central position as shown in Fig. 3, the throttle valve is closed and no air is admitted to the valve chambers of the engine. A forward movement of the lever 47 opens the throttle valve and the air passes into the valve chambers of the engine and The air operates the pistons and by means of the piston rods 17, connecting rods 19, and cranks 20, rotates the driving axle 4. rlhe rotation of the driving axle 4, gives a reciprocating movement to the links 28, by means of the eccentrics 34 and eccentric rods 35. This move- 'l 4 links 28. A movement of the lever 47 from its forward position to a position back of its center first closes the throttle valve, then opens it again, and by again changing the position of the links 28, reverses the direction of the stroke of the en 'ne The friction mechanism 'or operating the air pump 9, is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The shaft 11, of the gasolene engine has an enlargement 50, formed near one end, the enlargement having its outer face beveled as shown at 5l, in Fig. 8, and forms one member of the friction clutch. An eccentric 52, is loosely mounted upon'the shaft 11, in proximity to the enlargement 50, and said eccentric is surrounded by la strap 53. An eccentric rod has one end pivoted to the cross head 54, of the air pump and its other end secured to the strap 53.L The eccentric 52, has an opening 55,'

formed at one end of a lever 61, is adapted' to fit. The lever 61, is fulcrurned at an intermediate point upon a bracket 62, extending from the automobile frame and has its outer end pivotedtto' the forward end of a connecting rod 63, the rear end of which is connected to a vertical lever 64. Thisylever 64, is pivoted on a pin extendingfrom' the lower point of a quadrant 65, which is secured to the automobile frame; The lever 5 64:, i's within convenient reach of the ,chauf-` feur, and is locked in its adjusted position in a manner simila'r` to the lever 4:7 A col-- lar is fastened to the end of the engine shaft l1, toprevent the collar 57, from backing off f the sha/ft.

The operation of this mechanism is as follows,u-A`rearward movement of the lever 64,q moves the forked end vof Vthe leverl,

` forward and moves the movable member for- 15 ward, thereby gripping the eccentric 52', be-

tween the opposed beveled faces 511and 58, of the'members of the friction clutch, thereby locking'the eccentric to the shaft 11, and

\ operating the pump.

l thatthe atmospheric englne can be connected directly tothe vdriving axle of the automobile and driven at differing speeds, reversed, stopped or started by a single lever which `controls the; throttle valve of the atmosypheric engine and. also the cylinder valves,

thatlthe gasolene engine can be driven at auniform speed and as 1t merelywsemryes to pro' fvidepower to operate the air pump or com .30'A pressor it isnot forced to its utmost ca-- acity or operated irregularly or with dif- -flexing speed power, which renders the ,en-V gine longer lived and less liable to break down, that the friction created in the ordinar typey in transmitting power from the h1g speed gasolene engine tot e driving 'axle of the automobile is eliminated and in' its place is simply the friction produced in operating the air pump fromthe gasolene 4o engine and in operating the atmospheric eng The regularityof operation of the gaso- ,lene engine produces economy in consumption of gasolene and the a plication of a diyv`v rect drive on the rear ax e provides a better `and quicker control of the automobile. -The gasolenev engine is -run at a uniform `'speed while the speed of the atmos heric en- Y; gine is varied to vary the speed ofpthe automobile. v y

' The compressed air reservoir may also be conveniently utilized to iilll the pneumatic tires and to clean the car or person by proy viding a "alve at either endl ofthe air reservoir to which a tube of rubber or other flexi` -ble material is attached/as shown in Fig. l.

I claim as my invention. 1 '1. Inan automobile, the combination with the driving axle thereof, of a plurality of engines, a gasolene engine adaptedl to lrunat uniform speed, and an atmospheric engine adapted to be driven at differing 'speedsand connected directly to the ydriving axle of;- the automobile, an air pump for supplying com- The great advantages of this invention are engine vto supp tank to the atmospheric engine for simultapressed air tothe atmospheric engine and friction mechanism operatively `connecting th'e air pump to the gasolene engine and comprising a clutch member on the shaft of `the gasolene engine, an eccentric loosely mounted on said gasolene engine shaft in proximity to said clutch member, an eccentric rod having one end pivoted to the air pump and 'its opposite end secured to the strap and a collar forming the Aother clutch member, substantially as set forth..

2. In an automobile, the combination with the frame and front and rear axles, of an atmospheric engine having two cylinders hung side by side beneath the frame in front of the rear driving axle and each having direct cranked connection to said driving axle, a compressed air tank having pipe connection to both cylinders of said atmospheric y compressed air thereto, an air pump supported beneath the frame in front'of lthe atmospheric engine for replenishing the air in said tank, a gasolene engine mounted at the frontendy of the frame for operating said air pump and a throttle valve mechanism in the pipe connecting the air tank to the atmospheric engine and controlling the speed of both cylinders of the atmospheric engine.

3. In an automobile, the combination with the frame and the driving axle of an atmospheric engine connected directly to the driving axle and having a plurality of cylinders, 4a compressed air tank having pipe connection to all of the cylinders of said atmospheric engine to supply. compressed air thereto, an air pump for repleliishing the air in said tank, a gasolene en ine for operating the air pump and a sing e throttle valve mechanism in the pipe connecting the air neously and correspondingly varying lthe l speed of all the cylinders of/the atmospheric engine.

4. In an automobile, the combination with the driving axle thereof, of an air pump, a gasolene engine, friction mechanism connecting the gasolene engineto the air pump, a compressed yair ta'nk operatively connected to the air pump, an atmospheric engine' con- 1 nected to the. driving axle, a throttle valve controlling the speed of,the,atmospheric en; gine, a lever within convenient reachqof the operator controlling the throttle valve and 'a second-leverfalso within convenient reachof the operator .controlling the friction mechanism whereby thes 'eed' o'f`both the air pump andthe. atmos ericengine may be instantly ',varied, ysu stantially as set forth.". `v"il` 5. In an automobile, a compressed air reservoir, an atmospheric. engine connected to the driving axle ofthe automobile" and having a-plurality of cylinders, a'pipe connecting the atmospheric rengine to the oom-l venient reach of the operator 'and control- ,pressed air reservoiga throttle valveA in said ling both the throttle Valve and theeylinder pipe controlling the I'admission of com- Valves. pressed aii' to the atmospheric engine, cyl l FRANK STEPHENS.

.- inder valves controlling the admission of Witnesses:

compressed air to `the-engine Cylinders and SANesTER,l anvperating lever extending to Within con- GEO. A. NEUBAUER. 

